Copper Coin Ballet Company will host the annual “RockBallet” show at the Muni this Saturday, Sept. 7.
Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the theme of Rockballet for this year is influenced by Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. It’s sequenced in three parts: Classic rock, 80s/90s fusion rock, and modern rock.
Formed from the split of the Springfield Ballet Company in 2022, CCBC provides training and performance opportunities for talented dancers from Springfield and neighboring communities.
Julienne Ratz, a founder of RockBallet, is the artistic director for CCBC. She directs visuals, lights, costumes and choreography. At times, she also works on administrative duties, raising grants and paying bills.
RockBallet originated to connect generations, she said. Ratz: “We had a demographic of grandparents and their grandchildren. We were thinking about how can we reach a younger audience and so we decided to do a performance to rock music. The first year we did U2.”
The show has provided an opportunity for the dancers to connect ballet with music more familiar to them and learn from special guests over the summer, some who are alumni of SBC. This year, songs in the soundtrack feature recognizable classics such as “Mr. Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra and “Landslide” by Stevie Nicks with some more modern songs such as “50 Ways to Say Goodbye” by Train and “Poison and Wine” by Civil War. All songs will be covered by local band and musician collective Downstate, which has been a part of the production for at least a decade.
“RockBallet is so unique, Julie came up with the idea,” said Associate Artistic and Marketing Director Ronda Brinkman. “Gosh, we were side by side when she had the idea. Making it more attainable for the community because people sometimes get scared off from ballet thinking it’s so stiff, just not what they would enjoy on an everyday basis. But RockBallet pulls in the music they’re comfortable with and things they know already and pulls in the element of ballet and dance.” Brinkman continued: “It shows everyone can enjoy it. They might be going for the music but realize how it’s so cool how the dance wove together. That’s what the arts are, it’s pulling things together. It’s not just one thing, it is multifaceted.”
Brinkman, who has worked with the company since the early 2000s, hopes that the concert will connect with the community regardless of their interest in ballet. She knows the company has provided an opportunity for the dancers to grow, not only as dancers but as individuals.
“This is a safe place for the dancers because it’s not always like that. Teachers might see them for an hour a day, we see them for hours and hours every single week, so we see them when they are struggling and we have those conversations with the dancers and their parents to bridge the gap. Dance is such an important role in their lives,” said Brinkman. “Giving them the safe space and a way to grow with the arts is so important.”
Gracyn Wylie, a dancer in the show, said why she thought the program would be beneficial to her.
“This is going to help my future. Having the opportunity to be able to perform in front of a lot of people will make me less scared to try new things.”
Lauren Pumphrey, a UIS student and rehearsal assistant, said RockBallet provides an opportunity to collaborate and mentor her dancers. “Dance is a really good way to express yourself. But it is also a good way for audiences to see that expression, relate to that expression. For some dance, that is so fun, it makes me happy to do it. I hope people who are watching it say, ‘Wow, that made me happy. That song in the dance made me happy.'”
Isabelle McMeen, a dancer from Edwardsville, travels over 30 minutes for rehearsals. She enjoys getting out of her hometown bubble and performing with the other dancers. “Especially with the live band, you really connect with the audience. And, we start when the sun is still out, so being able to see the people in the audience, it is really cool,” said McMeen, “And after, you just feel so full and you just feel like you’ve touched people in the audience because the music is live. It feels so nice to be able to connect to somebody. Because, normally, when we’re in the auditorium, it’s all black and you can’t see people. But I love it at the Muni, because we get to see the people.”
The two-hour show will start on the Muni stage at 8 p.m. Sept. 7. There will be an intermission. In case of rain delay, the show will be pushed to the next day.
Cesar Toscano graduated from Columbia Chicago with a B.A. in Creative Writing and found love for journalism during his last year of college editing for the Columbia Chronicle. He is studying in the Public Affairs Reporting program at University of Illinois Springfield this fall.
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